Anti-Semitism in France reared its ugly head over the weekend after a Jewish woman in the national beauty contest had to endure bullying on social media due to her background.
April Benayoum, a French woman who has Italian and Israeli roots, won second place in the Miss France 2021 competition on Saturday, but that has not stopped racists and anti-Semites from launching incessant attacks on social media, including with anti-Semitic tweets.
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Benayoum, who won Miss Provence before competing in the national contest, has described herself as Italian-Israeli because she was born to a Serbo-Croatian mother and an Israeli father.
The Jewish advocacy group StopAntiSemitism.org came to her defense on Twitter: "A gorgeous #MissFrance2021 contestant, April Benayoum, is receiving horrific anti-Semitic responses after stating she has an Israeli father. Just a few of the tweets: 'Don't vote for a Jew.' 'Hitler forgot this one.'"
The Union of Jewish Students in France also noted this unfair treatment she has received because of her roots, tweeting: "Miss France 2021, no longer a beauty contest, it is an anti-Semitism contest because of the surname of Miss Provence who called herself Italian-Israeli."
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